“After the Party” came from anger, says co-creator Dianne Taylor.
“It came from a lot of anger.”
“Robyn delivered an amazing audition for something I wrote, and the director said ‘no.’ He said she was ‘too mature’ for the role, even though it was written for someone her age. We decided to make something together, where a 50-year-old isn’t played by a 30-year-old.”
“For the longest time, we didn’t have a character and we didn’t have a story. All we had was this rage. Then we decided to use our own lives and own experiences, and in the meantime, this anger just went away,” Malcolm says at Series Mania.
Penny, played by Robyn Malcolm – who also co-created the miniseries – is a high-school teacher. Years ago, during a party, she accused her own husband of sexually exploiting her daughter’s drunk teenage friend. Now, he is back, and...
“It came from a lot of anger.”
“Robyn delivered an amazing audition for something I wrote, and the director said ‘no.’ He said she was ‘too mature’ for the role, even though it was written for someone her age. We decided to make something together, where a 50-year-old isn’t played by a 30-year-old.”
“For the longest time, we didn’t have a character and we didn’t have a story. All we had was this rage. Then we decided to use our own lives and own experiences, and in the meantime, this anger just went away,” Malcolm says at Series Mania.
Penny, played by Robyn Malcolm – who also co-created the miniseries – is a high-school teacher. Years ago, during a party, she accused her own husband of sexually exploiting her daughter’s drunk teenage friend. Now, he is back, and...
- 3/25/2024
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
It sounds like the plot of a classic Hollywood disaster movie: a quiet fishing town on the coast of Iceland is threatened when a long-dormant volcano suddenly awakens, causing thousands of earth tremors that have ruptured roads and wrecked houses while residents attempt to flee the impending lava.
For the inhabitants of Grindavik, a small fishing town on Iceland’s southern peninsula, this isn’t a film but, as of last weekend, real life. According to reports, on Saturday morning almost 4,000 residents were evacuated from their homes in the town, which is only an hour’s drive from the Icelandic capital of Reykjavík, after the Fagradalsfjall volcano began threatening to erupt last week. Reports say there is “a river” of magma beneath the town which is coming perilously close to breaking through to the surface.
While normal life in Grindavik has come to a stop, for now the wider Icelandic screen industry has been unaffected.
For the inhabitants of Grindavik, a small fishing town on Iceland’s southern peninsula, this isn’t a film but, as of last weekend, real life. According to reports, on Saturday morning almost 4,000 residents were evacuated from their homes in the town, which is only an hour’s drive from the Icelandic capital of Reykjavík, after the Fagradalsfjall volcano began threatening to erupt last week. Reports say there is “a river” of magma beneath the town which is coming perilously close to breaking through to the surface.
While normal life in Grindavik has come to a stop, for now the wider Icelandic screen industry has been unaffected.
- 11/16/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Producer Marianne Slot will continue her successful collaboration with Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson, following 2018 “Woman at War” with TV show “The Danish Woman” and upcoming feature film “Normal Men.”
“It’s a comedy, as you can imagine. Benedikt Erlingsson and a feminist producer – that’s a good combination,” she laughs, recalling their previous film about an environmental activist going rogue.
“’Woman at War’ was so joyful to make. It is still being shown and used as a reference, even by politicians in many different countries.”
Slot talks to Variety in Locarno, when she is picking up the Raimondo Rezzonico Award, given to industry figures who have played a major role in international production.
A French producer of Danish origin, she has collaborated with such directors as Lucrecia Martel, Lisandro Alonso and Sergei Loznitsa and has been co-producing Lars von Trier’s films since 1995’s “Breaking the Waves,” including “The House That Jack Built.
“It’s a comedy, as you can imagine. Benedikt Erlingsson and a feminist producer – that’s a good combination,” she laughs, recalling their previous film about an environmental activist going rogue.
“’Woman at War’ was so joyful to make. It is still being shown and used as a reference, even by politicians in many different countries.”
Slot talks to Variety in Locarno, when she is picking up the Raimondo Rezzonico Award, given to industry figures who have played a major role in international production.
A French producer of Danish origin, she has collaborated with such directors as Lucrecia Martel, Lisandro Alonso and Sergei Loznitsa and has been co-producing Lars von Trier’s films since 1995’s “Breaking the Waves,” including “The House That Jack Built.
- 8/5/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
The first season sold widely around the world.
Iceland’s Glassriver is gearing up to shoot the second season of its hit series Black Sands, from showrunner Baldvin Z.
The partners again on board for the second season are Iceland’s Channel 2, All3Media, which handles international rights, Belgium’s Lunanime and Vrt, and Finland’s Yle.
The first season sold well – including to Viaplay with rights in several European territories and the US (where the show launched on July 20), Alibi for the UK, Disney+ for the Netherlands and Luxembourg, Canal+ for Poland, Sbs in Australia, Axn Mystery Channel in Japan,...
Iceland’s Glassriver is gearing up to shoot the second season of its hit series Black Sands, from showrunner Baldvin Z.
The partners again on board for the second season are Iceland’s Channel 2, All3Media, which handles international rights, Belgium’s Lunanime and Vrt, and Finland’s Yle.
The first season sold well – including to Viaplay with rights in several European territories and the US (where the show launched on July 20), Alibi for the UK, Disney+ for the Netherlands and Luxembourg, Canal+ for Poland, Sbs in Australia, Axn Mystery Channel in Japan,...
- 7/24/2023
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Prominent Paris-based producer Marianne Slot, who has been instrumental to bringing works by auteurs such as Lars Von Trier, Lucrecia Martel, and Argentina’s Lisandro Alonso to the big screen, is being honored by the Locarno Film Festival.
Slot will receive the Swiss festival’s Raimondo Rezzonico prize for a producer who epitomizes the indie ethos. She will be bestowed with the award on Aug. 5 with a tribute that will include a screening of Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson’s environmental-themed black comedy “Woman At War,” followed by an on-stage conversation on Aug. 6.
Born in Denmark, Slot set up the Paris-based production company Slot Machine in 1993. She has been Von Trier’s French producer since 1995, starting with “Breaking the Waves.” Over the years Slot has shepherded works by a slew of indie auteurs at various stages of their careers. Besides Martel and Erlingsson these include Bent Hamer, Małgorzata Szumowska, Paz Encina,...
Slot will receive the Swiss festival’s Raimondo Rezzonico prize for a producer who epitomizes the indie ethos. She will be bestowed with the award on Aug. 5 with a tribute that will include a screening of Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson’s environmental-themed black comedy “Woman At War,” followed by an on-stage conversation on Aug. 6.
Born in Denmark, Slot set up the Paris-based production company Slot Machine in 1993. She has been Von Trier’s French producer since 1995, starting with “Breaking the Waves.” Over the years Slot has shepherded works by a slew of indie auteurs at various stages of their careers. Besides Martel and Erlingsson these include Bent Hamer, Małgorzata Szumowska, Paz Encina,...
- 4/27/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Locarno Film Festival will honor French-Danish producer Marianne Slot with its Raimondo Rezzonico Award, given to figures who have played a major role in international production, at its 76th edition running from August 2 to 12.
Over the course of her 30-year career, Slot has worked with a host of internationally renowned auteurs including Lars von Trier, Lucrecia Martel, Bent Hamer, Malgoska Szumowska, Paz Encina, Lisandro Alonso, Sergei Loznitsa, Naomi Kawase and Benedikt Erlingsson.
Slot broke into producing on the early works of von Trier, taking co-producer credits on the original The Kingdom TV series as well as Breaking The Waves and The Idiots, and has since become a key figure on the international arthouse co-production scene.
The producer will be in Cannes this year with Lisandro Alonso’s ambitious historical drama Eureka starring Viggo Mortensen, which world premieres in the Cannes Premiere section.
“Marianne Slot’s approach to film production has...
Over the course of her 30-year career, Slot has worked with a host of internationally renowned auteurs including Lars von Trier, Lucrecia Martel, Bent Hamer, Malgoska Szumowska, Paz Encina, Lisandro Alonso, Sergei Loznitsa, Naomi Kawase and Benedikt Erlingsson.
Slot broke into producing on the early works of von Trier, taking co-producer credits on the original The Kingdom TV series as well as Breaking The Waves and The Idiots, and has since become a key figure on the international arthouse co-production scene.
The producer will be in Cannes this year with Lisandro Alonso’s ambitious historical drama Eureka starring Viggo Mortensen, which world premieres in the Cannes Premiere section.
“Marianne Slot’s approach to film production has...
- 4/27/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
There is romance in activism and fighting the good fight against the immoral powers of the establishment. In following a group of young environmentalist anarchists who yearn to make an impact and have their voices heard by any means necessary, Daniel Goldhaber’s searing eco-thriller “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” grasps this selfless passion at a visceral level.
Thankfully, romance doesn’t mean empty idealism in Goldhaber’s film, co-written by Goldhaber, Jorgan Sjol and Ariela Barer as a loose adaptation of Andreas Malm’s 2020 book. While the characters steering an act of terrorism around a Texan pipeline are all young and hotheaded, they aren’t out there to make some futile noise about climate change. There is a real point to the fatality-free disturbance these rightfully angry citizens of the world have carefully planned out, and what they have in mind is something a lot more significant than...
Thankfully, romance doesn’t mean empty idealism in Goldhaber’s film, co-written by Goldhaber, Jorgan Sjol and Ariela Barer as a loose adaptation of Andreas Malm’s 2020 book. While the characters steering an act of terrorism around a Texan pipeline are all young and hotheaded, they aren’t out there to make some futile noise about climate change. There is a real point to the fatality-free disturbance these rightfully angry citizens of the world have carefully planned out, and what they have in mind is something a lot more significant than...
- 4/7/2023
- by Tomris Laffly
- The Wrap
Munich-based arthouse distribution company Prokino Filmverleih has locked German-language and Swiss rights for the unconventional Icelandic road trip film “Driving Mum” from production-distribution outfit Alief (“Matadero”).
The project won the Grand Prix Prize for best film at the Tallinn Black Night Film Festival, earning additional accolades for its affecting score. It was also chosen as an Industry Select title at 2022’s Toronto Festival.
The deal, brokered between Miguel Angel Govea, a partner at Alief, and Ira Von Gienanth, managing director of production, acquisitions & sales at Prokino, comes ahead of the feature’s European Film Market screenings in Berlin.
“We’re thrilled to close German rights with Prokino. Ira and the team are a perfect match for Hilmar’s sentimental yet quirky tribute to motherhood,“ Govea remarked in a statement.
Directed by Reykjavík native Hilmar Oddsson (“December”), “Driving Mum” takes a wryly solemn look at isolation, despair and self-discovery as Jon...
The project won the Grand Prix Prize for best film at the Tallinn Black Night Film Festival, earning additional accolades for its affecting score. It was also chosen as an Industry Select title at 2022’s Toronto Festival.
The deal, brokered between Miguel Angel Govea, a partner at Alief, and Ira Von Gienanth, managing director of production, acquisitions & sales at Prokino, comes ahead of the feature’s European Film Market screenings in Berlin.
“We’re thrilled to close German rights with Prokino. Ira and the team are a perfect match for Hilmar’s sentimental yet quirky tribute to motherhood,“ Govea remarked in a statement.
Directed by Reykjavík native Hilmar Oddsson (“December”), “Driving Mum” takes a wryly solemn look at isolation, despair and self-discovery as Jon...
- 2/14/2023
- by Holly Jones
- Variety Film + TV
LevelK has boarded Icelandic crime drama “Cold,” directed by Erlingur Óttar Thoroddsen and based on the bestselling book “The Undesired” (“Kuldi”) by Yrsa Sigurdardóttir. Still in production, it was recently pitched at Venice Gap-Financing Market.
The story centers on Óðinn, living alone with his daughter Rún. As he investigates decades-old deaths at a juvenile treatment center, he begins to suspect that the sinister secrets are connected to his ex-wife’s mysterious suicide. As well as his daughter’s strange behavior.
“Erlingur is an established, talented director who respects the audiences and finds it fascinating to thrill them,” says LevelK’s CEO Tine Klint.
“We were captured by his take on the book, his style and the entire team behind the production.”
Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Sara Dögg Ásgeirsdóttir and “Woman at War” lead Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir are all set to star.
“On the surface, ‘Cold’ certainly seems like a classic Nordic noir.
The story centers on Óðinn, living alone with his daughter Rún. As he investigates decades-old deaths at a juvenile treatment center, he begins to suspect that the sinister secrets are connected to his ex-wife’s mysterious suicide. As well as his daughter’s strange behavior.
“Erlingur is an established, talented director who respects the audiences and finds it fascinating to thrill them,” says LevelK’s CEO Tine Klint.
“We were captured by his take on the book, his style and the entire team behind the production.”
Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Sara Dögg Ásgeirsdóttir and “Woman at War” lead Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir are all set to star.
“On the surface, ‘Cold’ certainly seems like a classic Nordic noir.
- 9/4/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Beta Film has added two new titles to its growing slate of titles from Central and Eastern Europe, acquiring international distribution rights to Serbian supernatural drama “Block 27” and the Czech crime series “Ultimatum,” the company announced on the eve of the Sarajevo Film Festival.
Veronika Kovacova, Beta’s EVP of international sales and acquisitions for Eastern Europe and Turkey, said the deals underscore the company’s continued commitment to the fast-growing region. “We are there for the creators, for the producers, to help them and to support what they want to produce,” she said.
Directed by Momir Milosevic and Milica Tomovic, and produced by Belgrade-based Firefly Productions, “Block 27” is a science fiction-mystery that follows the disappearance of a teenager in Belgrade, and the search by his twin sister to find him—a journey that finds her traveling to another dimension. The 6 x 45’ series is created by Ivan Knezevic and stars Branko Djuric,...
Veronika Kovacova, Beta’s EVP of international sales and acquisitions for Eastern Europe and Turkey, said the deals underscore the company’s continued commitment to the fast-growing region. “We are there for the creators, for the producers, to help them and to support what they want to produce,” she said.
Directed by Momir Milosevic and Milica Tomovic, and produced by Belgrade-based Firefly Productions, “Block 27” is a science fiction-mystery that follows the disappearance of a teenager in Belgrade, and the search by his twin sister to find him—a journey that finds her traveling to another dimension. The 6 x 45’ series is created by Ivan Knezevic and stars Branko Djuric,...
- 8/11/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Andres Ramirez Pulido’s “La Jauria” won the Grand Prize at Critics’ Week, the Cannes Film Festival’s sidebar dedicated to first and second features. The Colombian film also won the Sacd prize.
The feature debut follows Eliú, a country boy who is wrongly accused of a crime and incarcerated in an experimental rehabilitation center for tough boys in the heart of the Colombian tropical forest.
Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun,” which stars “Normal People” actor Paul Mescal, won the French Touch Prize of the Jury. The bittersweet drama revolves around a father and daughter who spend a summer holiday in a Turkish resort.
Emmanuelle Nicot’s “Love According To Dalva,” meanwhile, won the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award for Zelda Samson. “Love According to Dalva” is a poignant drama about a 12-year-old girl growing up in foster care, alongside social workers and other children.
The Gan Foundation Award for Distribution went to Urban Distribution,...
The feature debut follows Eliú, a country boy who is wrongly accused of a crime and incarcerated in an experimental rehabilitation center for tough boys in the heart of the Colombian tropical forest.
Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun,” which stars “Normal People” actor Paul Mescal, won the French Touch Prize of the Jury. The bittersweet drama revolves around a father and daughter who spend a summer holiday in a Turkish resort.
Emmanuelle Nicot’s “Love According To Dalva,” meanwhile, won the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award for Zelda Samson. “Love According to Dalva” is a poignant drama about a 12-year-old girl growing up in foster care, alongside social workers and other children.
The Gan Foundation Award for Distribution went to Urban Distribution,...
- 5/25/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Critics’ Week, the sidebar dedicated to first and second films running alongside the Cannes Film Festival, will be kicking off with Jesse Eisenberg’s feature debut “When You Finish Saving the World” and showcase four female-directed movies.
Selected out of 1100 submitted movies, the full roster includes 11 feature films, seven of which will compete and four will play as special screenings.
“When You Finish Saving the World,” which is headlined by Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard, revolves around the relationship between a politically-engaged mother and her fame-obsessed teenage son, who is also a burgeoning musician. The A24 movie is based on Eisenberg’s 2020 audio drama of the same name and was part of the Sundance 2022 selection.
“We already adored Eisenberg as an actor and discovered him as a true auteur with this film that’s both tender and contemporary and exposes a generational gap between a mother and her son,” said Ava Cahen,...
Selected out of 1100 submitted movies, the full roster includes 11 feature films, seven of which will compete and four will play as special screenings.
“When You Finish Saving the World,” which is headlined by Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard, revolves around the relationship between a politically-engaged mother and her fame-obsessed teenage son, who is also a burgeoning musician. The A24 movie is based on Eisenberg’s 2020 audio drama of the same name and was part of the Sundance 2022 selection.
“We already adored Eisenberg as an actor and discovered him as a true auteur with this film that’s both tender and contemporary and exposes a generational gap between a mother and her son,” said Ava Cahen,...
- 4/20/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Selection to be announced on Wednesday morning.
Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania has been named president of 2022 Critics’ Week, the Cannes parallel section for films by first and second-time films.
Ben Hania will be supported by a jury comprising French-Greek actress and director Ariane Labed, Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson, Belgian cinematographer Benoît Debie, and South Korean journalist, film programmer and director of Busan International Film Festival Huh Moonyung.
Ben Hania’s four features include her debut The Blade Of Tunis, 2017 Cannes Un Certain Regard entry Beauty And The Dogs, and 2020 Venice Orizzonti selection The Man Who Sold His Skin, the...
Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania has been named president of 2022 Critics’ Week, the Cannes parallel section for films by first and second-time films.
Ben Hania will be supported by a jury comprising French-Greek actress and director Ariane Labed, Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson, Belgian cinematographer Benoît Debie, and South Korean journalist, film programmer and director of Busan International Film Festival Huh Moonyung.
Ben Hania’s four features include her debut The Blade Of Tunis, 2017 Cannes Un Certain Regard entry Beauty And The Dogs, and 2020 Venice Orizzonti selection The Man Who Sold His Skin, the...
- 4/18/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Critics Week (or La Semaine de la Critique), the selection dedicated to first and second films running alongside the Cannes Film Festival, will boast a jury presided over by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania (“The Man who Sold his Skin”).
Ben Hania has directed four features, including “Beauty and the Dogs” which competed in Un Certain Regard in 2017, and “The Man who Sold his Skin” which played at Venice in 2020 and was the first Tunisian film nominated for the Oscars’ international feature film race.
The jury of the 61st edition will be completed by French-Greek actress and director Ariane Labed, Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson (“Woman at War”), Belgian cinematographer Benoît Debie, and South Korean journalist and Busan Festival’s topper Huh Moon yung.
Four prizes will be handed out by Ben Hania’s jury, the La Semaine de la Critique Grand Prize, the French Touch Prize of the Jury, the...
Ben Hania has directed four features, including “Beauty and the Dogs” which competed in Un Certain Regard in 2017, and “The Man who Sold his Skin” which played at Venice in 2020 and was the first Tunisian film nominated for the Oscars’ international feature film race.
The jury of the 61st edition will be completed by French-Greek actress and director Ariane Labed, Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson (“Woman at War”), Belgian cinematographer Benoît Debie, and South Korean journalist and Busan Festival’s topper Huh Moon yung.
Four prizes will be handed out by Ben Hania’s jury, the La Semaine de la Critique Grand Prize, the French Touch Prize of the Jury, the...
- 4/18/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Nent Orders Icelandic Crime Drama
Nordic streamer Nordic Entertainment Group has ordered psychological crime drama Sisterhood. The six-episode series stars Lilja Nótt Þórarinsdóttir (The Midnight Sky), Jóhanna Friðrika Sæmundsdóttir (Happily Never After) and Eddan Award winners Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir (Trapped) and Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir (Woman at War). The drama will premiere on Nent Group’s Viaplay streaming service in 2022. The series will ask who was really responsible for a young girl’s disappearance in Iceland 25 years ago. Ambitious police detective Vera (Geirharðsdóttir), dissatisfied with the original investigation, investigates an unlikely trio of successful and respectable women. Tony Todd Thriller Gets Domestic Deal Exclusive: Sp Releasing has acquired domestic rights to Andy Stapp’s directorial debut Destination Marfa starring Candy Man actor Tony Todd and Stelio Savante. The film follows four lifelong friends who decide to veer off the road and venture into a small West Texas town known as Marfa, where they...
Nordic streamer Nordic Entertainment Group has ordered psychological crime drama Sisterhood. The six-episode series stars Lilja Nótt Þórarinsdóttir (The Midnight Sky), Jóhanna Friðrika Sæmundsdóttir (Happily Never After) and Eddan Award winners Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir (Trapped) and Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir (Woman at War). The drama will premiere on Nent Group’s Viaplay streaming service in 2022. The series will ask who was really responsible for a young girl’s disappearance in Iceland 25 years ago. Ambitious police detective Vera (Geirharðsdóttir), dissatisfied with the original investigation, investigates an unlikely trio of successful and respectable women. Tony Todd Thriller Gets Domestic Deal Exclusive: Sp Releasing has acquired domestic rights to Andy Stapp’s directorial debut Destination Marfa starring Candy Man actor Tony Todd and Stelio Savante. The film follows four lifelong friends who decide to veer off the road and venture into a small West Texas town known as Marfa, where they...
- 4/29/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman and Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
UK distributor-producer Elysian Film Group has appointed Picturehouse Entertainment exec Nick McKay as Head of Distribution.
The company has also announced today its first acquisition for theatrical release: Studio Ghibli pic Earwig And The Witch. Based on the children’s novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones, the film is the Japanese studio’s first entirely 3Dcg animated film.
The Cannes 2020 film is directed by Goro Miyazaki and produced by studio co-founder Toshio Suzuki with planning from his father, Hayao Miyazaki.
The film charts the story of orphan Earwig who has no idea that her mother had magical powers. Her life will take a new turn when a strange family takes her in, and she is forced to live with a selfish witch.
Elysian acquired rights from Wild Bunch International and plans a theatrical run in early 2021.
Meanwhile, McKay joins the recently established UK distribution company, which launched...
The company has also announced today its first acquisition for theatrical release: Studio Ghibli pic Earwig And The Witch. Based on the children’s novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones, the film is the Japanese studio’s first entirely 3Dcg animated film.
The Cannes 2020 film is directed by Goro Miyazaki and produced by studio co-founder Toshio Suzuki with planning from his father, Hayao Miyazaki.
The film charts the story of orphan Earwig who has no idea that her mother had magical powers. Her life will take a new turn when a strange family takes her in, and she is forced to live with a selfish witch.
Elysian acquired rights from Wild Bunch International and plans a theatrical run in early 2021.
Meanwhile, McKay joins the recently established UK distribution company, which launched...
- 12/3/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Former US Secretary of State to help create content with social impact.
US politician and diplomat John Kerry is moving into the film world, joining forces with newly launched, UK-based production company Fingerprint Content as senior advisor and executive producer.
“I’ve been in the business of communicating my whole life,” said the former US Secretary of State on moving from politics and activism to entertainment.
“There has always been a real synergy there been between politics and filmmaking. You’re trying to persuade people that something or have an impact and move people and get them to act and respond.
US politician and diplomat John Kerry is moving into the film world, joining forces with newly launched, UK-based production company Fingerprint Content as senior advisor and executive producer.
“I’ve been in the business of communicating my whole life,” said the former US Secretary of State on moving from politics and activism to entertainment.
“There has always been a real synergy there been between politics and filmmaking. You’re trying to persuade people that something or have an impact and move people and get them to act and respond.
- 10/30/2020
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Prize transforms to become an audience award with screenings taking place in theatres and online.
The Lux Prize is being rebranded and transformed into an audience award under a new joint venture between the European Parliament and the European Film Academy (Efa).
The changes were unveiled at a special event during the Venice Film Festival on Saturday (September 5).
Under the revamp, the Lux prize has merged with the Efa’s People’s Choice Award to become the Lux European Audience Film Award. It will be presented jointly by the European Parliament and the Efa, in partnership with the European Commission and exhibitor organisation Europa Cinemas.
The Lux Prize is being rebranded and transformed into an audience award under a new joint venture between the European Parliament and the European Film Academy (Efa).
The changes were unveiled at a special event during the Venice Film Festival on Saturday (September 5).
Under the revamp, the Lux prize has merged with the Efa’s People’s Choice Award to become the Lux European Audience Film Award. It will be presented jointly by the European Parliament and the Efa, in partnership with the European Commission and exhibitor organisation Europa Cinemas.
- 9/5/2020
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Venice Days pic “Beware of Children” and Sundance alumnus “Charter” are among the five Nordic films nominated for the coveted Nordic Council Film Prize.
“Beware of Children” was directed by Norwegian scribe/helmer Dag Johan Haugerud and produced by Yngve Sæther. The drama is set in the aftermath of a tragic event in a suburb of Oslo, where the teenage daughter of a prominent Labour Party member seriously injured her classmate, the son of a high profile right-wing politician, during a school break.
“Charter,” meanwhile, world premiered at this year’s Sundance festival and marks Swedish director/screenwriter Amanda Kernell’s second feature following “Sami Blood.” “Charter” is a character study of a flawed mother who impulsively embarks on a perilous attempt to reconnect with her children after leaving them with their father to start a new life in Stockholm. “Charter” was produced by Lars G. Lindström and Eva Åkergren.
“Beware of Children” was directed by Norwegian scribe/helmer Dag Johan Haugerud and produced by Yngve Sæther. The drama is set in the aftermath of a tragic event in a suburb of Oslo, where the teenage daughter of a prominent Labour Party member seriously injured her classmate, the son of a high profile right-wing politician, during a school break.
“Charter,” meanwhile, world premiered at this year’s Sundance festival and marks Swedish director/screenwriter Amanda Kernell’s second feature following “Sami Blood.” “Charter” is a character study of a flawed mother who impulsively embarks on a perilous attempt to reconnect with her children after leaving them with their father to start a new life in Stockholm. “Charter” was produced by Lars G. Lindström and Eva Åkergren.
- 8/18/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
LevelK has sold Icelandic vampire splatter comedy “Thirst” to several territories including North America following its market premiere at the European Film Market.
Directed by Gaukur Úlfarsson and Steinþór Hróar Steinþórsson, the movie was jointly acquired by Uncork’d Entertainment and Dark Star Pictures for North American distribution, as well as Njutafilms for Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland and Estin Film for Estonia.
“Thirst,” which world premiered at the Nordic Film Market of the Goteborg Film Festival, takes place in a small town where evil is lurking and strange crimes and brutality frequently occur. The film follows Hulda, a woman suspected of being responsible for the death of her brother, Steindi, and is being investigated by the police. After being released from custody due to insufficient evidence, she has nowhere to turn.
Lingering around in the cold, she befriends an elderly man who turns out to be a 1,000-year-old, single and...
Directed by Gaukur Úlfarsson and Steinþór Hróar Steinþórsson, the movie was jointly acquired by Uncork’d Entertainment and Dark Star Pictures for North American distribution, as well as Njutafilms for Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland and Estin Film for Estonia.
“Thirst,” which world premiered at the Nordic Film Market of the Goteborg Film Festival, takes place in a small town where evil is lurking and strange crimes and brutality frequently occur. The film follows Hulda, a woman suspected of being responsible for the death of her brother, Steindi, and is being investigated by the police. After being released from custody due to insufficient evidence, she has nowhere to turn.
Lingering around in the cold, she befriends an elderly man who turns out to be a 1,000-year-old, single and...
- 3/13/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Here are some highlights you might have missed from the month that was.
Voyage of the Damned (1976) you assigned us this topic. We'll do another reader's choice soon
Carol 2 ??? No, it's just a set photo from Nightmare Alley.
10 Unforgettable Oscar Moments - what were your favourites?
And Then We Danced don't miss this lovely drama about gay dancers in homophobic Georgia
Birds of Prey hasn't been superhero-sized hit but Chris liked it
Sundance Sum Up - Murtada tells us how it was in snowy Park City
The French Dispatch - are you excited for Wes Anderson's latest?
Interview: Rodrigo Prieto the great cinematographer looks back at his career and why he's an auteur favourite
Nathaniel's top 10 of 2019 Woman at War, Marriage Story, The Farewell etc
2019 Film Coverage is a Wrap a guide to all our coverage of the year that was...
Voyage of the Damned (1976) you assigned us this topic. We'll do another reader's choice soon
Carol 2 ??? No, it's just a set photo from Nightmare Alley.
10 Unforgettable Oscar Moments - what were your favourites?
And Then We Danced don't miss this lovely drama about gay dancers in homophobic Georgia
Birds of Prey hasn't been superhero-sized hit but Chris liked it
Sundance Sum Up - Murtada tells us how it was in snowy Park City
The French Dispatch - are you excited for Wes Anderson's latest?
Interview: Rodrigo Prieto the great cinematographer looks back at his career and why he's an auteur favourite
Nathaniel's top 10 of 2019 Woman at War, Marriage Story, The Farewell etc
2019 Film Coverage is a Wrap a guide to all our coverage of the year that was...
- 2/28/2020
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
LevelK has boarded the Icelandic gay vampire movie “Thirst” which will be world premiere at the Goteborg Film Festival and screen at the Nordic Film Market.
“Thirst” directed by Gaukur Úlfarsson and Steinþór Hróar Steinþórsson, takes place in a small town where evil is lurking around and strange crimes and brutality frequently occur. The film follows Hulda, a woman who is suspected of being responsible for the death of her brother, Steindi, and is being nvestigated by the police. After being released from custody due to insufficient evidence, she has nowhere to turn to.
Lingering around in the cold, she befriends an elderly man who turns out to be a 1,000-year old, single and gay vampire who brings her brother to life, leading to terrible consequences.
“‘Thirst’ is totally unexpected, and one of the most entertaining and lively in-house screenings LevelK has ever had!,” said LevelK’s CEO and managing director Tine Klint.
“Thirst” directed by Gaukur Úlfarsson and Steinþór Hróar Steinþórsson, takes place in a small town where evil is lurking around and strange crimes and brutality frequently occur. The film follows Hulda, a woman who is suspected of being responsible for the death of her brother, Steindi, and is being nvestigated by the police. After being released from custody due to insufficient evidence, she has nowhere to turn to.
Lingering around in the cold, she befriends an elderly man who turns out to be a 1,000-year old, single and gay vampire who brings her brother to life, leading to terrible consequences.
“‘Thirst’ is totally unexpected, and one of the most entertaining and lively in-house screenings LevelK has ever had!,” said LevelK’s CEO and managing director Tine Klint.
- 1/30/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
In today’s film news roundup, Jodie Foster is directing a Mona Lisa movie, Sony buys a sci-fi script for Jake Kasdan, Lionsgate signs a deal with Kristin Burr and “The Color Purple” is returning to theaters.
Project Launch
Jodie Foster has come on board to direct an untitled drama about the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa with Los Angeles Media Fund fully financing.
Lamf has hired Bill Wheeler to write the screenplay, based on the book “The Day They Stole the Mona Lisa” by Seymour Reit. The robbery, which took place at the Louvre in Paris, was perpetrated by Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia, who believed that Leonardo da Vinci’s painting should have been displayed in Italy.
Peruggia kept the painting for two years and was caught when he attempted to sell it to the director of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. It was returned to the Louvre in...
Project Launch
Jodie Foster has come on board to direct an untitled drama about the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa with Los Angeles Media Fund fully financing.
Lamf has hired Bill Wheeler to write the screenplay, based on the book “The Day They Stole the Mona Lisa” by Seymour Reit. The robbery, which took place at the Louvre in Paris, was perpetrated by Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia, who believed that Leonardo da Vinci’s painting should have been displayed in Italy.
Peruggia kept the painting for two years and was caught when he attempted to sell it to the director of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. It was returned to the Louvre in...
- 1/30/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Jodie Foster is attached to direct a drama based on the true story of how Leonardo DaVinci’s iconic painting the Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911, an individual with knowledge of the project tells TheWrap.
Bill Wheeler is writing a draft of the screenplay for Foster to direct based on the book “The Day They Stole the Mona Lisa” by Seymour Reit. The robbery, perpetrated by Vincenzo Peruggia in 1911, helped elevate the painting to legendary status.
The film is in the vein of “The Thomas Crown Affair” and “The Sting” and will blend fact and fiction, focusing specifically on the people behind the heist.
As described in NPR, the robbery took place inside the Louvre in 1911, where three Italian handymen hid out in a supply closet and managed to swipe the 200 pounds of the painting, protective glass and frame off the wall and get it onto a French subway train out of the city. The painting was missing for a full 28 hours before anyone noticed it was gone, and when the news broke, the painting became famous overnight. Though DaVinci painted the Mona Lisa in the 16th century, French art critics didn’t recognize it as a masterpiece until the late 19th century, and the robbery helped elevate its status even further.
Bill Wheeler is writing a draft of the screenplay for Foster to direct based on the book “The Day They Stole the Mona Lisa” by Seymour Reit. The robbery, perpetrated by Vincenzo Peruggia in 1911, helped elevate the painting to legendary status.
The film is in the vein of “The Thomas Crown Affair” and “The Sting” and will blend fact and fiction, focusing specifically on the people behind the heist.
As described in NPR, the robbery took place inside the Louvre in 1911, where three Italian handymen hid out in a supply closet and managed to swipe the 200 pounds of the painting, protective glass and frame off the wall and get it onto a French subway train out of the city. The painting was missing for a full 28 hours before anyone noticed it was gone, and when the news broke, the painting became famous overnight. Though DaVinci painted the Mona Lisa in the 16th century, French art critics didn’t recognize it as a masterpiece until the late 19th century, and the robbery helped elevate its status even further.
- 1/29/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Former agent George Monkland and producer Rowena Wallace have united to launch Peach House, a London-based talent management and production outfit that has the backing of fledgling management collective Tricycle Talent.
Peach House will represent a wide variety of emerging and established U.K. and international actors, musicians, writers and directors across film, TV and theatre. Crucially, the business’s production capabilities, à la Wallace, will allow clients to produce projects in-house.
The outfit’s client roster includes actors Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir (“Woman at War”), Thibault de Montalembert and Ingvar Sigurdsson, screenwriter Ben Bond (“The Drifters”) and director Matt Chambers (“The Bike Thief”).
Projects in development include the BFI-co-produced “Lit,” the first feature from filmmaker Laura Kirwan-Ashman, which is currently in development; “Killing Dad,” a comedy feature from Peach House client Henry David; and event series “Tigers In Red Winter,” in collaboration with “The Night Manager’s” Stephen Garrett.
Prior to Peach House,...
Peach House will represent a wide variety of emerging and established U.K. and international actors, musicians, writers and directors across film, TV and theatre. Crucially, the business’s production capabilities, à la Wallace, will allow clients to produce projects in-house.
The outfit’s client roster includes actors Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir (“Woman at War”), Thibault de Montalembert and Ingvar Sigurdsson, screenwriter Ben Bond (“The Drifters”) and director Matt Chambers (“The Bike Thief”).
Projects in development include the BFI-co-produced “Lit,” the first feature from filmmaker Laura Kirwan-Ashman, which is currently in development; “Killing Dad,” a comedy feature from Peach House client Henry David; and event series “Tigers In Red Winter,” in collaboration with “The Night Manager’s” Stephen Garrett.
Prior to Peach House,...
- 1/15/2020
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
In both its tantalising programme and its industry section, the 19th edition of the Tarragona International Film Festival is encouraging youthful creativity to spring forth. Between 3 and 8 December 2019, Tarragona is playing host to the 19th edition of Rec – the Tarragona International Film Festival, a gathering that, over the course of its existence so far, has been able to successfully combine fostering brand-new projects with screenings of films that have a distinct arthouse and indie flavour. Headed up by Xavier García Puerto, the festival shouts its environmental militancy from the rooftops, and this is evident from the design of its poster as well as from the content of the Emergencias section. It also...
The audience prize was won by Mika Kaurismäki’s Master Cheng.
Hlynur Pálmason’s second feature A White, White Day has won the top prize at Nordic Film Days in Lubeck in Germany.
The Ndr Film Prize includes a cash award of €12,500.
It is the second consecutive year an Icelandic film has won the award following Benedikt Erlingsson’s Woman At War win in 2018.
A White, White Day premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week and is a tale of grief and revenge, revolving around a former policeman in a small Icelandic town. International sales are handled by New Europe Film Sales...
Hlynur Pálmason’s second feature A White, White Day has won the top prize at Nordic Film Days in Lubeck in Germany.
The Ndr Film Prize includes a cash award of €12,500.
It is the second consecutive year an Icelandic film has won the award following Benedikt Erlingsson’s Woman At War win in 2018.
A White, White Day premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week and is a tale of grief and revenge, revolving around a former policeman in a small Icelandic town. International sales are handled by New Europe Film Sales...
- 11/4/2019
- by 158¦Martin Blaney¦40¦
- ScreenDaily
Dok Leipzig’s International Golden Dove won by ‘Exemplary Behaviour’.
Hlynur Pálmason’s second feature A White, White Day has won the top prize at Nordic Film Days in Lubeck in Germany.
The Ndr Film Prize includes a cash award of €12,500.
It is the second consecutive year an Icelandic film has won the award following Benedikt Erlingsson’s Woman At War win in 2018.
A White, White Day premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week and is a tale of grief and revenge, revolving around a former policeman in a small Icelandic town. International sales are handled by New Europe Film Sales and...
Hlynur Pálmason’s second feature A White, White Day has won the top prize at Nordic Film Days in Lubeck in Germany.
The Ndr Film Prize includes a cash award of €12,500.
It is the second consecutive year an Icelandic film has won the award following Benedikt Erlingsson’s Woman At War win in 2018.
A White, White Day premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week and is a tale of grief and revenge, revolving around a former policeman in a small Icelandic town. International sales are handled by New Europe Film Sales and...
- 11/4/2019
- by 158¦Martin Blaney¦40¦
- ScreenDaily
Queen of Hearts has already racked up an impressive list of prizes.
May el-Toukhy’s Danish drama Queen of Hearts won the prestigious and lucrative Nordic Council Film Prize 2019 last night (Oct 29) in Stockholm.
She shares the $52,000 award with screenwriter Maren Louise Käehne and producers Caroline Blanco and René Ezra.
Trine Dyrholm stars as Anne, a lawyer, mother and wife who begins a dangerous affair with her stepson (Gustav Lindh).
The jury said: “Is it about a midlife crisis? About class? Or about desire and passion? Is she a sex violator? Or a psychopath? We are used to movies serving a clear point,...
May el-Toukhy’s Danish drama Queen of Hearts won the prestigious and lucrative Nordic Council Film Prize 2019 last night (Oct 29) in Stockholm.
She shares the $52,000 award with screenwriter Maren Louise Käehne and producers Caroline Blanco and René Ezra.
Trine Dyrholm stars as Anne, a lawyer, mother and wife who begins a dangerous affair with her stepson (Gustav Lindh).
The jury said: “Is it about a midlife crisis? About class? Or about desire and passion? Is she a sex violator? Or a psychopath? We are used to movies serving a clear point,...
- 10/30/2019
- by 1100142¦Wendy Mitchell¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
The long list for the coveted best international picture prize at the British Independent Film Awards includes Cannes Palme d’Or and London Film Festival winners, as well as pictures from Pedro Almodovar, Robert Eggers and Noah Baumbach. Multiple titles that have been submitted to compete for the Oscar for best international feature film are also in the mix.
The long list for the Best International Independent Film at the BIFAs, shared exclusively with Variety, includes Bong Joon-ho’s Palme d’Or-winning “Parasite,” and Alejandro Landes’ child soldier saga “Monos,” which was named best picture at the London Film Festival.
Other titles that launched at Cannes and on the Bifa long list include Nora Fingscheidt’s “System Crasher” and Pedro Almodovar’s “Pain and Glory,” which are Germany’s and Spain’s Oscar entries, respectively. Other national entries to the Oscars that are also on the Bifa long list include...
The long list for the Best International Independent Film at the BIFAs, shared exclusively with Variety, includes Bong Joon-ho’s Palme d’Or-winning “Parasite,” and Alejandro Landes’ child soldier saga “Monos,” which was named best picture at the London Film Festival.
Other titles that launched at Cannes and on the Bifa long list include Nora Fingscheidt’s “System Crasher” and Pedro Almodovar’s “Pain and Glory,” which are Germany’s and Spain’s Oscar entries, respectively. Other national entries to the Oscars that are also on the Bifa long list include...
- 10/21/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
16th festival under the direction of Hronn Marinosdottir also showcases new Icelandic works in progress.
The 16th Rejykavik International Film Festival (Riff) has awarded its top prize – the Golden Puffin - to Shahrbanoo Sadat’s The Orphanage, the Bollywood-tinged drama about an Afghan boy who is sent to a Russian facility which is enjoying a strong festival run after its premiere at Quinzaine in May. The winner of the sidebar Competition, A Different Tomorrow, went to the documentary Midnight Traveller, by Hassan Fazili, a documentary performer since its Sundance bow.
The Puffin awards capped a busy festival in which...
The 16th Rejykavik International Film Festival (Riff) has awarded its top prize – the Golden Puffin - to Shahrbanoo Sadat’s The Orphanage, the Bollywood-tinged drama about an Afghan boy who is sent to a Russian facility which is enjoying a strong festival run after its premiere at Quinzaine in May. The winner of the sidebar Competition, A Different Tomorrow, went to the documentary Midnight Traveller, by Hassan Fazili, a documentary performer since its Sundance bow.
The Puffin awards capped a busy festival in which...
- 10/5/2019
- by 172¦Fionnuala Halligan¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
16th festival under the direction of Hronn Marinosdottir also showcases new Icelandic works in progress.
The 16th Rejykavik International Film Festival (Riff) has awarded its top prize – the Golden Puffin - to Shahrbanoo Sadat’s The Orphanage, the Bollywood-tinged drama about an Afghan boy who is sent to a Russian facility which is enjoying a strong festival run after its premiere at Quinzaine in May. The winner of the sidebar Competition, A Different Tomorrow, went to the documentary Midnight Traveller, by Hassan Fazili, a documentary performer since its Sundance bow.
The Puffin awards capped a busy festival in which...
The 16th Rejykavik International Film Festival (Riff) has awarded its top prize – the Golden Puffin - to Shahrbanoo Sadat’s The Orphanage, the Bollywood-tinged drama about an Afghan boy who is sent to a Russian facility which is enjoying a strong festival run after its premiere at Quinzaine in May. The winner of the sidebar Competition, A Different Tomorrow, went to the documentary Midnight Traveller, by Hassan Fazili, a documentary performer since its Sundance bow.
The Puffin awards capped a busy festival in which...
- 10/5/2019
- by 172¦Fionnuala Halligan¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
To mark the release of Woman at War on 16th September, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on Blu-ray along with a signed poster for each winner.
This funny, smart and engaging film from acclaimed director Benedikt Erlingsson (Of Horses and Men) is by turns heartwarming and hilarious featuring a stand-out performance by Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir in the role of feisty female protagonist Halla.
To her friends, Halla leads a quiet and routine existence. But her happy and upbeat exterior hides a secret double life as a committed environmental activist. Known to others only by her alias ‘The Woman of the Mountain’, she secretly wages a one-woman-war on the local aluminium industry to protect the stunning highland landscape that is under threat. Just as she begins planning her biggest and boldest operation yet, she receives an unexpected letter that will change everything. She will be forced to choose between...
This funny, smart and engaging film from acclaimed director Benedikt Erlingsson (Of Horses and Men) is by turns heartwarming and hilarious featuring a stand-out performance by Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir in the role of feisty female protagonist Halla.
To her friends, Halla leads a quiet and routine existence. But her happy and upbeat exterior hides a secret double life as a committed environmental activist. Known to others only by her alias ‘The Woman of the Mountain’, she secretly wages a one-woman-war on the local aluminium industry to protect the stunning highland landscape that is under threat. Just as she begins planning her biggest and boldest operation yet, she receives an unexpected letter that will change everything. She will be forced to choose between...
- 9/13/2019
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Eurimages Lab Award at Haugesund has gone to Norwegian director Guro Bruusgaard for Him.
Norwegian director Guro Bruusgaard has won the Eurimages Lab iAward at Haugesund for Him.
The award—which is only eligible for a select group of work-in-progress projects that are more experimental in form or content – comes with a grant worth $55,500.
Him looks at the roles of contemporary men in society through stories of a boy, a 30-year-old man and a 60-year old man during one day in Oslo. The jury said Him offered a “relevant discussion made in a witty, intelligent and compassionate style”. No sales company is attached yet.
Norwegian director Guro Bruusgaard has won the Eurimages Lab iAward at Haugesund for Him.
The award—which is only eligible for a select group of work-in-progress projects that are more experimental in form or content – comes with a grant worth $55,500.
Him looks at the roles of contemporary men in society through stories of a boy, a 30-year-old man and a 60-year old man during one day in Oslo. The jury said Him offered a “relevant discussion made in a witty, intelligent and compassionate style”. No sales company is attached yet.
- 8/23/2019
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
"It's time for us farmers to retake control." Yes! Fight the power! Screen Daily has debuted a festival promo trailer for the Icelandic drama titled The County, premiering at the Toronto Film Festival coming up next month. The film will screen in the Contemporary World Cinema section, after already opening in Icelandic cinemas this summer. From the acclaimed director of the film Rams, Grímur Hákonarson's The County is set in rural Iceland and follows Inga, a middle-aged cow farmer who loses her husband in an accident and must stand on her own two feet. She begins a new life on her own terms by fighting against corruption and injustice at the co-op in her community. Don't follow the herd! The film stars Arndís Hrönn Egilsdóttir, Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson, and Sigurður Sigurjónsson. I'm really enjoying this outstanding trend of anti-corruption, power-to-the-people films from Iceland these days (see also: Woman at War). More of this.
- 8/22/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The $52,750 prize will be shared equally among the screenwriter, director, and producer.
The five nominees for the Nordic Council Film Prize 2019 have been unveiled at the Haugesund International Film Festival in Norway today (August 20).
The $52,750 prize will be shared equally among the screenwriter, director, and producer.
The nominees are:
Aurora (Finland), Miia Tervo (director/script), Max Malka (producer) Blind Spot (Norway), Tuva Novotny (director/script), Elisabeth Kvithyll (producer) Queen Of Hearts (Denmark), May el-Toukhy (director/script), Maren Louise Käehne (script), Caroline Blanco, René Ezra (producers) Reconstructing Utøya (Sweden), Carl Javér (director/script), Fredrik Lange (script/producer) A White, White Day...
The five nominees for the Nordic Council Film Prize 2019 have been unveiled at the Haugesund International Film Festival in Norway today (August 20).
The $52,750 prize will be shared equally among the screenwriter, director, and producer.
The nominees are:
Aurora (Finland), Miia Tervo (director/script), Max Malka (producer) Blind Spot (Norway), Tuva Novotny (director/script), Elisabeth Kvithyll (producer) Queen Of Hearts (Denmark), May el-Toukhy (director/script), Maren Louise Käehne (script), Caroline Blanco, René Ezra (producers) Reconstructing Utøya (Sweden), Carl Javér (director/script), Fredrik Lange (script/producer) A White, White Day...
- 8/20/2019
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Acclaimed actress Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir, best known for “Woman at War,” is set to star in writer/director Ragnar Bragason’s dark comedy “The Garden.”
Currently in post-production and to be pitched at Haugesund’s New Nordic Films over Aug. 20-23, “The Garden” is Bragason’s sixth feature and his first one since the 2013 Toronto entry “Metalhead.”
“I did two plays in between and the TV series “Fangar” (“Prisoners” in English”),” said the director, known as well for his twin features “Children”/”Parents”, and the ‘Shift’ TV series. Based on Bragason’s own 2012 stage play “The Garden,” which ran for a year at the Reykjavik City Theatre to a sold-out crowd, the picture is a social realist satire set in Reykjavik in a large apartment block full of immigrants.
Sectarian Indiana Jónsdóttir lives off the public welfare state, and in her small private garden, tends to her award-winning laburnum tree. Johanna – her neighbor,...
Currently in post-production and to be pitched at Haugesund’s New Nordic Films over Aug. 20-23, “The Garden” is Bragason’s sixth feature and his first one since the 2013 Toronto entry “Metalhead.”
“I did two plays in between and the TV series “Fangar” (“Prisoners” in English”),” said the director, known as well for his twin features “Children”/”Parents”, and the ‘Shift’ TV series. Based on Bragason’s own 2012 stage play “The Garden,” which ran for a year at the Reykjavik City Theatre to a sold-out crowd, the picture is a social realist satire set in Reykjavik in a large apartment block full of immigrants.
Sectarian Indiana Jónsdóttir lives off the public welfare state, and in her small private garden, tends to her award-winning laburnum tree. Johanna – her neighbor,...
- 8/19/2019
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
Festival will see Swedish Film Institute launch new funding for young voices.
The Carl International Film Festival, held in Karlskrona, southern Sweden from Aug 23-27, is planning to focus on sustainability for its third edition
Films addressing the theme include Benedikt Erlingsson’s Woman At War, which will close the festival with an open-air screening. Other films related to sustainability will include the documentary Acid Forest, about a dying forest on the Lithuania-Russia border that has become a tourist attraction.
The Baltic Sea Competition will showcase five films from the 10 Baltic Sea countries, with a prize worth $2,600.
They are: Levan Akin...
The Carl International Film Festival, held in Karlskrona, southern Sweden from Aug 23-27, is planning to focus on sustainability for its third edition
Films addressing the theme include Benedikt Erlingsson’s Woman At War, which will close the festival with an open-air screening. Other films related to sustainability will include the documentary Acid Forest, about a dying forest on the Lithuania-Russia border that has become a tourist attraction.
The Baltic Sea Competition will showcase five films from the 10 Baltic Sea countries, with a prize worth $2,600.
They are: Levan Akin...
- 7/25/2019
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
The Ukraine industry is steadily building, but serious challenges remain.
The need to support the development of the film industry in Ukraine through international ties was in sharp focus at the Odesa International Film Festival yesterday (July 17), with delegates arriving in the seaside city to attend a conference focused on the benefits of co-production.
“The most important issue for us today is to bring Ukrainian cinema to the international landscape,” said festival president Viktoriya Tigipko in her opening address. “Co-producing is crucial for us. We see the opportunity to do much more.”
One immediate boost to the industry would be...
The need to support the development of the film industry in Ukraine through international ties was in sharp focus at the Odesa International Film Festival yesterday (July 17), with delegates arriving in the seaside city to attend a conference focused on the benefits of co-production.
“The most important issue for us today is to bring Ukrainian cinema to the international landscape,” said festival president Viktoriya Tigipko in her opening address. “Co-producing is crucial for us. We see the opportunity to do much more.”
One immediate boost to the industry would be...
- 7/18/2019
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
(Welcome to Pop Culture Imports, a column that compiles the best foreign movies and TV streaming right now.) After last week‘s Neon Genesis Evangelion-themed column, we’re back with our regular edition of Pop Culture Imports and the best foreign-language movies and TV shows streaming now. That includes the Cannes darling and absurdist Icelandic dramedy Woman at War, the […]
The post Pop Culture Imports: ‘Woman at War,’ ‘The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,’ ‘Goblin,’ And More appeared first on /Film.
The post Pop Culture Imports: ‘Woman at War,’ ‘The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,’ ‘Goblin,’ And More appeared first on /Film.
- 7/11/2019
- by Hoai-Tran Bui
- Slash Film
The filmmaker was in town with his sophomore feature ’Light Of My Life’.
Oscar-winning Us actor and filmmaker Casey Affleck has predicted a “huge upswing” in the quality of independent film in the near future thanks to a new generation of content creators, in a discussion at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) on Sunday June 30.
Despite noting that “there have been better times” than the past 10 years in the independent sector, Affleck said, “the new wave of filmmakers who are now 18, 19, 20 – those kids are making great stuff, and there’s going to be a huge upswing.”
“We’re going...
Oscar-winning Us actor and filmmaker Casey Affleck has predicted a “huge upswing” in the quality of independent film in the near future thanks to a new generation of content creators, in a discussion at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) on Sunday June 30.
Despite noting that “there have been better times” than the past 10 years in the independent sector, Affleck said, “the new wave of filmmakers who are now 18, 19, 20 – those kids are making great stuff, and there’s going to be a huge upswing.”
“We’re going...
- 7/2/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Director Benedikt Erlingsson: "The industry should reduce its amount of air travel while films had to be made with greater green production credentials." Photo: Richard Mowe
Film Festivals need to wake up their ideas on carbon footprints and greenhouse emissions - and they will have to change their ways to become more sustainable.
So said Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson when he joined other speakers including Helga Trugel, member of the European Parliament; Linda Beath, an Italy-based industry observer; and Dylan Leiner from Sony Pictures.
Erlingsson, whose third feature, Woman At War, screened in Cannes three years ago, used colourful language to hammer home his points. “Festivals send scouts all over the world farting carbon. They invite guests - again carbon farting.” And there are all the associated paraphernalia such as taxis and meals.
Chair Michael Gubbin (left) and Sony’s Dylan Leiner at the talks session at Karlovy Vary...
Film Festivals need to wake up their ideas on carbon footprints and greenhouse emissions - and they will have to change their ways to become more sustainable.
So said Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson when he joined other speakers including Helga Trugel, member of the European Parliament; Linda Beath, an Italy-based industry observer; and Dylan Leiner from Sony Pictures.
Erlingsson, whose third feature, Woman At War, screened in Cannes three years ago, used colourful language to hammer home his points. “Festivals send scouts all over the world farting carbon. They invite guests - again carbon farting.” And there are all the associated paraphernalia such as taxis and meals.
Chair Michael Gubbin (left) and Sony’s Dylan Leiner at the talks session at Karlovy Vary...
- 7/1/2019
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Director said film festivals ”are part of the problem”.
Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson launched a passionate tirade against the wastefulness of the film industry, in a talk focused on sustainability at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) on June 30 (Sunday).
In a 10-minute speech Erlingsson described film festivals, including the one at which he was speaking, as “a carbon-farting crisis”.
“They send scouts all over the world farting carbon. They invite foreign guests, farting carbon. They eat meat, take taxis, turn up the air conditioning. Are film festivals part of our problem? Yes. Will they be able to continue this way?...
Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson launched a passionate tirade against the wastefulness of the film industry, in a talk focused on sustainability at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) on June 30 (Sunday).
In a 10-minute speech Erlingsson described film festivals, including the one at which he was speaking, as “a carbon-farting crisis”.
“They send scouts all over the world farting carbon. They invite foreign guests, farting carbon. They eat meat, take taxis, turn up the air conditioning. Are film festivals part of our problem? Yes. Will they be able to continue this way?...
- 7/1/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The enduring real-life mystery of “Isdal Woman” will be the subject of a new spy thriller series.
Handwritten Pictures, part of Stefan Arndt and Tom Tykwer’s X Filme, and Beta Film’s “Undercover” producer Good Friends are the German producers. Fenes Film is the Norwegian partner. Beta Film will handle distribution and take the project to market. German and Norwegian broadcasters are expected to be announced shortly.
Isdal Woman has fascinated people for almost 50 years, with the BBC reporting new findings as recently as this week. The case began in 1970 when hikers found the body of a woman in the Isdalen Valley on the west coast of Norway. Initially considered a suicide, the case took a mysterious turn when evidence came to light showing she was in possession of fake identities, fueling speculation that she may have been a Cold War spy. Her identity has still not been established.
Handwritten Pictures, part of Stefan Arndt and Tom Tykwer’s X Filme, and Beta Film’s “Undercover” producer Good Friends are the German producers. Fenes Film is the Norwegian partner. Beta Film will handle distribution and take the project to market. German and Norwegian broadcasters are expected to be announced shortly.
Isdal Woman has fascinated people for almost 50 years, with the BBC reporting new findings as recently as this week. The case began in 1970 when hikers found the body of a woman in the Isdalen Valley on the west coast of Norway. Initially considered a suicide, the case took a mysterious turn when evidence came to light showing she was in possession of fake identities, fueling speculation that she may have been a Cold War spy. Her identity has still not been established.
- 6/28/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
On paper, several of the films released in the first half of 2019 have the look of potential Oscar Best Picture nominees.
There’s “Avengers: Endgame,” a blockbuster Marvel movie that could follow in the heels of last year’s blockbuster Marvel movie, “Black Panther.”
And “Rocketman,” a musical biopic of British singer and gay icon Elton John that picks up the mantle from last year’s musical biopic of British singer and gay icon Freddie Mercury, “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
And Jordan Peele’s socially conscious horror flick “Us,” his first film since his socially conscious horror flick and Oscar nominee “Get Out.”
Also Read: When Sacheen Littlefeather and Marlon Brando Fought John Wayne for the Soul of the Oscars
And Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” an acclaimed animated movie looking to follow in the footsteps of the last animated movie to be nominated for Best Picture, which happened to be “Toy Story 3.
There’s “Avengers: Endgame,” a blockbuster Marvel movie that could follow in the heels of last year’s blockbuster Marvel movie, “Black Panther.”
And “Rocketman,” a musical biopic of British singer and gay icon Elton John that picks up the mantle from last year’s musical biopic of British singer and gay icon Freddie Mercury, “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
And Jordan Peele’s socially conscious horror flick “Us,” his first film since his socially conscious horror flick and Oscar nominee “Get Out.”
Also Read: When Sacheen Littlefeather and Marlon Brando Fought John Wayne for the Soul of the Oscars
And Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” an acclaimed animated movie looking to follow in the footsteps of the last animated movie to be nominated for Best Picture, which happened to be “Toy Story 3.
- 6/26/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The Fond is one of Scandinavia’s leading backers, supporting films like Border, Queen of Hearts, Woman at War and The Square.
Nordisk Film & TV Fond is changing with the times by adding three new financing partners from the streaming world.
The total number of financing partners from Jan 1 2020 will be 22, after the new trio joins: Nordic Entertainment Group, C More Entertainment (digital TV and streaming service that is a division of Bonnier) and Vgtv (one of Norway’s leading web TV channels).
The Fond is one of Scandinavia’s leading backers, supporting films like Border, Queen Of Hearts, Woman At War...
Nordisk Film & TV Fond is changing with the times by adding three new financing partners from the streaming world.
The total number of financing partners from Jan 1 2020 will be 22, after the new trio joins: Nordic Entertainment Group, C More Entertainment (digital TV and streaming service that is a division of Bonnier) and Vgtv (one of Norway’s leading web TV channels).
The Fond is one of Scandinavia’s leading backers, supporting films like Border, Queen Of Hearts, Woman At War...
- 6/14/2019
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Mihály Schwechtje’s Democracy Work In Progress wins €20,000 Eurimages co-production development award.
Fifteen projects from Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey were presented at the Transilvania Pitch Stop (Tps) at the Transilvania International Film Festival (Tiff) in Cluj-Napoca in Romania last week.
The €20,000 Eurimages co-production development award went to Hungarian filmmaker Mihály Schwechtje’s Democracy Work In Progress. The project had been developed at the Nipkow Programme in Berlin last year.
Turkish director Selman Nacar’s Between Two Dawns was awarded €25,000 in postproduction services from Chainsaw Europe. The project is being co-produced by Romania’s Oana Giurgiu of...
Fifteen projects from Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey were presented at the Transilvania Pitch Stop (Tps) at the Transilvania International Film Festival (Tiff) in Cluj-Napoca in Romania last week.
The €20,000 Eurimages co-production development award went to Hungarian filmmaker Mihály Schwechtje’s Democracy Work In Progress. The project had been developed at the Nipkow Programme in Berlin last year.
Turkish director Selman Nacar’s Between Two Dawns was awarded €25,000 in postproduction services from Chainsaw Europe. The project is being co-produced by Romania’s Oana Giurgiu of...
- 6/13/2019
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Beta Cinema has acquired the dark, offbeat comedy “Patrick,” the feature debut of Flemish director Tim Mielants (“Peaky Blinders”), which will world premiere in competition next month at the Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival. Variety has the exclusive trailer.
Featuring Kevin Janssens, Jemaine Clement and Bouli Lanners (“Rust and Bone”), “Patrick” is the story of a handyman at his father’s naturist campsite who dedicates his spare time to designing and building furniture. When he loses his trusted hammer, his search to retrieve it takes him to the furthest corner of the campgrounds—a journey that takes on existential meaning when his father passes away. As the life he long took for granted suddenly shifts course, Patrick embarks on a tragicomic quest that might ultimately help him become a new man.
“Patrick” is produced by Bart Van Langendonck of Savage Film. Beta Cinema will handle all international rights outside Benelux.
Featuring Kevin Janssens, Jemaine Clement and Bouli Lanners (“Rust and Bone”), “Patrick” is the story of a handyman at his father’s naturist campsite who dedicates his spare time to designing and building furniture. When he loses his trusted hammer, his search to retrieve it takes him to the furthest corner of the campgrounds—a journey that takes on existential meaning when his father passes away. As the life he long took for granted suddenly shifts course, Patrick embarks on a tragicomic quest that might ultimately help him become a new man.
“Patrick” is produced by Bart Van Langendonck of Savage Film. Beta Cinema will handle all international rights outside Benelux.
- 6/12/2019
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The furry yellow fellow grossed £4.9m to take the number one ranking.
Today’s Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.30.
Rank Film (Distributor) Three-day gross (May 10-12) Total gross to date Week 1 Pokémon Detective Pikachu (Warner Bros) £4.9m £4.9m 1 2 Avengers: Endgame £4.4m £80.4m 3 3 The Hustle (Universal) £1m £1m 1 4 Long Shot (Lionsgate) £411,308 £1.9m 2 5 The Curse Of La Llorona (Warner Bros) £243,000 £1.2m 2
Warner Bros
Live action-animation hybrid Pokémon Detective Pikachu sprang a surprise at the UK box office this weekend, taking top spot from Avengers: Endgame with an impressive £4.9m opening.
This figure is more than £2m higher than the opening for any...
Today’s Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.30.
Rank Film (Distributor) Three-day gross (May 10-12) Total gross to date Week 1 Pokémon Detective Pikachu (Warner Bros) £4.9m £4.9m 1 2 Avengers: Endgame £4.4m £80.4m 3 3 The Hustle (Universal) £1m £1m 1 4 Long Shot (Lionsgate) £411,308 £1.9m 2 5 The Curse Of La Llorona (Warner Bros) £243,000 £1.2m 2
Warner Bros
Live action-animation hybrid Pokémon Detective Pikachu sprang a surprise at the UK box office this weekend, taking top spot from Avengers: Endgame with an impressive £4.9m opening.
This figure is more than £2m higher than the opening for any...
- 5/13/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
In his new film Woman At War, Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson (Of Horses and Men) offers a funny, smart and thoroughly engaging story revolving around a woman’s solitary fight against the establishment in this politically charged drama comedy. Starring Halldóra Geirharõsdóttir (Sense8) and with a screenplay from Ólafur Egilsson and Benedikt Erlingsson, the film uses dry humour and a quirky style to tell an urgent tale about the importance of preserving Iceland’s natural beauty from the dangers of industrialism.
From the outside Halla (Geirharõsdóttir) leads a quiet and normal life as a respected choir conductor. In her spare time however, our heroine is a highly motivated and fierce eco-warrior who has been waging a singular war against a local aluminium factory by causing power cuts on regular sabotage missions. Known to others only by her alias ‘The Woman of the Mountain’, Halla soon has to choose between continuing her noble mission,...
From the outside Halla (Geirharõsdóttir) leads a quiet and normal life as a respected choir conductor. In her spare time however, our heroine is a highly motivated and fierce eco-warrior who has been waging a singular war against a local aluminium factory by causing power cuts on regular sabotage missions. Known to others only by her alias ‘The Woman of the Mountain’, Halla soon has to choose between continuing her noble mission,...
- 5/11/2019
- by Linda Marric
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
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